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July 07, 2015 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast today announced it is increasing the speed of its popular Blast! tier by almost 50 percent to 150 Mbps (formerly 105 Mbps) and introducing a new Performance Pro speed tier of 75 Mbps. New and existing customers who subscribe to many popular Xfinity Triple Play bundles will now receive Performance Pro, tripling their download speeds from 25 Mbps to 75 Mbps. These latest increases demonstrate Comcast’s ongoing commitment to continue to increase speeds for its customers, as it has virtually every year for more than the past decade, to support the increasing number of Internet connected devices in the home.

“We’ve invested tens of billions of dollars to create a network that makes broadband widely available to the most homes, and allows us to continually deliver the fastest, most reliable Internet and Wi-Fi speeds in and out of the home”

“Today, our customers simultaneously connect to the Internet through multiple smartphones, tablets and laptops, and whether it’s to stream, shop, video chat, upload photos or do homework, we’re committed to ensuring they get the best overall experience with blazing fast speeds and the most Wi-Fi coverage, all delivered over our state-of-the-art network,” said Kevin Casey, President of Comcast Cable’s Northeast Division, which includes 14 states from Maine to Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The new speeds and tiers will be available to the vast majority of new and existing customers starting later this month. Customers subscribing to eligible Triple Play bundles will receive the new, 3x faster Performance Pro speeds, and all new and existing customers with Blast! speed tiers will have their speeds go from 105 Mbps to 150 Mbps, an almost 50 percent increase. To get the new speeds, customers may need to re-start their modems. Comcast will also notify customers who may need to upgrade their modems to receive the increased speeds. Customers who lease modems from Comcast will be able to receive upgraded modems at no additional charge. A list of approved modems can be found online at http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/.
In addition to increasing speeds for its Northeast Division customers, Comcast continues to offer the fastest wireless gateway, and most Xfinity Internet customers can enjoy complimentary access to more than 8.5 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots nationwide by selecting "xfinitywifi" from the list of available networks on their laptops or mobile devices and entering their Xfinity ID or email and password. Hotspots can be found by either downloading the Xfinity WiFi App, available for free on iOS and Android devices, or by visiting the hotspot finder map on www.xfinity.com/wifi. Additionally, Comcast provides consumers with tips on how to create the best in-home Wi-Fi experience, out of home Wi-Fi experience and how to shop safely online.
“We’ve invested tens of billions of dollars to create a network that makes broadband widely available to the most homes, and allows us to continually deliver the fastest, most reliable Internet and Wi-Fi speeds in and out of the home,” continued Casey.
Comcast also takes its responsibility to provide a safe and secure online experience very seriously, offering a comprehensive security website at https://constantguard.xfinity.com/ that serves as an online resource to help customers protect themselves from spam, viruses and other online threats, and where they can learn about parental controls and ways to help protect children from cyber bullying, harassment and online predators. Comcast also provides Constant Guard, the most comprehensive online security suite, which includes Norton Security antivirus software, free to its Xfinity Internet customers.
About Comcast Cable: Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

With just two months to go until the FCC's September deadline, members of the Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee (DSTAC) are still at odds over what to recommend as a replacement for the outdated and largely ineffective CableCARD solution.
The US government passed a law late last year ending the separable security requirement -- the so-called CableCARD mandate -- for cable set-tops. The FCC immediately followed that action by forming the DSTAC and giving the committee the task of developing recommendations for a new downloadable security solution by September 4.
The goal in creating a far-reaching downloadable security solution is to make it easier for third-party devices like retail DVRs and other video equipment to access traditional pay-TV services. That same mandate was behind the development of the CableCARD, but now the industry is being asked to extend the scope of its vision even further. In addition to making the security solution downloadable -- a move designed to simplify installation for consumers -- DSTAC members are charged with including both satellite and telecom TV providers in their development of recommendations. CableCARD technology, in contrast, applies only to the cable industry. (See FCC Panel Debates CableCARD Successor and FCC Suffers Content Security's Growing Pains.)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 's intent with the downloadable security initiative is a noble one. However, the latest DSTAC meeting this week proved that some of the challenges involved may simply be insurmountable.
For example, one working group within the DSTAC suggested that downloadable video security might need to be integrated into the embedded software system of a retail device. However, Matthew Chaboud, a senior software engineer at Amazon Lab126, which is a research and development subsidiary of Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), pointed out in no uncertain terms that the consumer electronics (CE) industry won't allow third-party code to be downloaded into a retail device's trusted execution environment. Chaboud said that downloading security keys isn't a problem, but that CE companies simply won't allow service providers to download actual executable code into that environment for decrypting video signals.
"Presumably I would not be afforded the opportunity to fully inspect any code," said Chaboud, noting that the software would be proprietary. And he added that CE companies wouldn't be willing just to trust service providers and vendors who promise the security code won't cause any harm.
Dr. Joseph Weber, CTO for the service provider unit of TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), pointed out that the industry avoided this particular issue with CableCARD because there were two trusted environments involved; one in the consumer device and one in the CableCARD security module.

In addition to complications on the retail hardware side, there are also difficulties that stem from a widely varying pay-TV provider landscape. The video delivery systems already deployed by providers make it difficult,if not impossible, to come up with a single security solution that fits everywhere. Bruce McClelland, president of network and cloud and global services for Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS), noted that "the objective is to find a uniform solution." But both he and Jay Rolls, CTO for Charter Communications Inc. , acknowledged that perfect uniformity would likely not be achieved. As an antidote to the problem of defining a single solution, Brad Love, chief technologist for Hauppauge Digital Inc. , recommended some kind of translation mechanism -- a "virtual headend or bridge device" -- that could output different conditional access technologies into a standardized format. That idea, reminiscent of the FCC's earlier AllVid initiative, could work, but it would be burdensome to service providers, and it also wouldn't be a clean answer for everyone. Some operators, like Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH) and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), would likely still need additional external hardware to manage the television tuning function, which is handled differently in satellite and IPTV networks than it is in cable systems. (See All About the FCC's AllVid.)
For all of the technical complexity of the DSTAC's task, the business problems may prove even more intractable. After five months of debate, committee members are still arguing about how to define basic pay-TV service. Traditional operators contend that their service isn't just the video streams they provide, but also elements like the interactive program guide, interactive features like headline tickers and community service features like emergency alerts.
In reviewing the use cases for downloadable security technology, one DSTAC working group outlined the issues involved in the "tuning and viewing of a linear channel" and used the headline ticker feature as a sample component within that use case.
However, Amazon's Chaboud suggested that the inclusion of a headline ticker as part of the basic TV tuning function was ridiculous, calling it "way off the path" from what the group should be examining. Adding a little more color to the argument, Chaboud said the group might as well "put a baked potato" on the list.
Amazon is also one of the companies that sent a letter to the FCC in May stating that the agency shouldn't allow the advisory committee to develop recommendations in a way that would create a "walled-garden approach" to pay-TV services. In other words, retail companies should be able to develop their own added-value features on top of pay-TV content without having to include all of the elements -- like headline tickers -- that pay-TV providers would like to define as fundamental to their services.
Service providers counter that CE companies are trying to address issues outside the scope of the DSTAC's mission. In a letter to the FCC in April, all of the major US pay-TV providers and several critical vendors in the industry cautioned that the DSTAC was "veering into areas that are well outside its statutorily-defined charter."
The next and final DSTAC meeting is scheduled for August 4, at which time the committee should be ready to put the finishing touches on its recommendations. However, it's hard to believe that the group will reach a consensus by then. The different factions in the DSTAC are still worlds apart.

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast today announced it is increasing the speed of its popular Blast! tier by almost 50 percent to 150 Mbps (formerly 105 Mbps) and introducing a new Performance Pro speed tier of 75 Mbps. New and existing customers who subscribe to many popular Xfinity Triple Play bundles will now receive Performance Pro, tripling their download speeds from 25 Mbps to 75 Mbps. These latest increases demonstrate Comcast’s ongoing commitment to continue to increase speeds for its customers, as it has virtually every year for more than the past decade, to support the increasing number of Internet connected devices in the home.[/QUOTE]

It appears the Performance Pro speed tier will also apply to many classes of Double Play customers as well. Where I live in Maryland as a Double Play customer I am scheduled to get the speed boost at the end of September.

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast today announced it is increasing the speed of its popular Blast! tier by almost 50 percent to 150 Mbps (formerly 105 Mbps) and introducing a new Performance Pro speed tier of 75 Mbps. New and existing customers who subscribe to many popular Xfinity Triple Play bundles will now receive Performance Pro, tripling their download speeds from 25 Mbps to 75 Mbps. These latest increases demonstrate Comcast’s ongoing commitment to continue to increase speeds for its customers, as it has virtually every year for more than the past decade, to support the increasing number of Internet connected devices in the home.

It appears the Performance Pro speed tier will also apply to many classes of Double Play customers as well. Where I live in Maryland as a Double Play customer I am scheduled to get the speed boost at the end of September.[/QUOTE]

All this talk about speed is kind of meaningless. Anything over 50 is overkill. I think for the top quality video streaming you only need 20 or 25. Even if you have 2 or 3 people on line at once at home, you wouldn't need more. We have 200-250 UP/Down speeds in the Oakland condo - and I see no diff when accessing AVS and other sites when compared to our previous Comcast 25 service.
The one thing about CC is that their UP speed is slow by comparison. 5 to 7. Have they increased that as well? And for those who play games on line, isn't the ping time a more meaningful number? (Our service ranges from 3 to 5!) (I don't play games)

It appears the Performance Pro speed tier will also apply to many classes of Double Play customers as well. Where I live in Maryland as a Double Play customer I am scheduled to get the speed boost at the end of September.

All this talk about speed is kind of meaningless. Anything over 50 is overkill. I think for the top quality video streaming you only need 20 or 25. Even if you have 2 or 3 people on line at once at home, you wouldn't need more. We have 200-250 UP/Down speeds in the Oakland condo - and I see no diff when accessing AVS and other sites when compared to our previous Comcast 25 service.
The one thing about CC is that their UP speed is slow by comparison. 5 to 7. Have they increased that as well? And for those who play games on line, isn't the ping time a more meaningful number? (Our service ranges from 3 to 5!) (I don't play games)

The only time I find that the higher speed is useful is when I am downloading large files such as an update to Windows 10 preview which at the current Performance speed can take 20 minutes (four gb file). I will be very happy with the increase to 75mb /second which in most areas will actually be 90mb / second since it is at no additional cost. The upload speed will remain at 6mb / second which I feel is fine.

The very slow UP speed would only hinder the few at home that are uploading large business files or, maybe, a movie. Where a throttled UP speed can hurt is if you have a video surveillance system with 3 or 4 cameras.

I have read a whole lot about Comcast products and equipment; somehow I do not feel enlightened. I have been led astray a couple of times so far. I had an incredible event yesterday, I got a Comcast customer service person who actually cared to make sure things got done, was knowledgeable, and actually had the power to change things. I was stunned.

Anyway, to the point. I need to get a HD cable box for a new TV and I want to try to swap out my existing DCH3200 for a newer box. From my research,it would appear that the DCX3200 would be the proper upgrade. Is that a correct conclusion or is there a better choice to try for?

The second issue is that I have a triple play account. I am told that when I update the boxes I can get one with a DVR included. They tell me that this is already included in my bill as part of the package and there will not be any additional charge. When I asked if I should/could get the DVR function in both new cable boxes, I got an answer I do not quite understand. He said that I only needed to get it in one of the boxes because it worked for the whole account. Does this mean that the boxes are using a cloud storage system and thus the household has only one block of storage? And, if so, how would a non-DVR box be able to control the DVR recording and playback? I could use some help in understanding this.

I have read a whole lot about Comcast products and equipment; somehow I do not feel enlightened. I have been led astray a couple of times so far. I had an incredible event yesterday, I got a Comcast customer service person who actually cared to make sure things got done, was knowledgeable, and actually had the power to change things. I was stunned.

Anyway, to the point. I need to get a HD cable box for a new TV and I want to try to swap out my existing DCH3200 for a newer box. From my research,it would appear that the DCX3200 would be the proper upgrade. Is that a correct conclusion or is there a better choice to try for?

The second issue is that I have a triple play account. I am told that when I update the boxes I can get one with a DVR included. They tell me that this is already included in my bill as part of the package and there will not be any additional charge. When I asked if I should/could get the DVR function in both new cable boxes, I got an answer I do not quite understand. He said that I only needed to get it in one of the boxes because it worked for the whole account. Does this mean that the boxes are using a cloud storage system and thus the household has only one block of storage? And, if so, how would a non-DVR box be able to control the DVR recording and playback? I could use some help in understanding this.

the updated box is X1 service.
it uses a non-DVR box that connects to the dvr box.
read about X1 on the comcast web site

So if I would get 2 DVR equipped boxes, I would double the recording capacity?

Having DVR could be handy, but I am leery of X1. There is really nothing besides the DVR I have seen in features that are of interest. I have noted in my searching that X1 seems to have multiple issues. And Comcast charges more for it.

So if I would get 2 DVR equipped boxes, I would double the recording capacity?

Having DVR could be handy, but I am leery of X1. There is really nothing besides the DVR I have seen in features that are of interest. I have noted in my searching that X1 seems to have multiple issues. And Comcast charges more for it.

I've seen a number of complaints. Problem is - people don't post about products that work. Only when they don't. I think, tho, I've seen announcements by CC itself on a few occasions that X-1 is "down".
One reason that they charge more for X-1 is they make you get internet AND landline from them. Most people that are advanced enuf in their thinking to get X-1 have abandoned landline years ago.
More than 1/2 the people over 40 are landline free. Comcast is the only internet provider in most areas where they have service, so they wouldn't even need to make that a requirement.
I would hope that as more people "cut the cord", they will change some of their policies. Like the one that makes you pay for expensive sports channels just to get a the dozens of others in a package that has 3 or 4 that you want.

X! sounds good, in theory. As I understand it, everything is stored in "the cloud", not on a DVR on your shelf.

So if I would get 2 DVR equipped boxes, I would double the recording capacity?

Having DVR could be handy, but I am leery of X1. There is really nothing besides the DVR I have seen in features that are of interest. I have noted in my searching that X1 seems to have multiple issues. And Comcast charges more for it.

I have Double Play (Internet and TV) and I was able to get the X1 DVR and two satellite boxes without any problems. The X1 DVR in my area cost the same amount as a standard DVR and the X1 satellite boxes cost the same as a non-X1 box. I enjoy the graphical X1 interface and the ability to view recorded content on the satellite boxes. Also in my area the cloud feature has been implemented which allows me to watch live, on demand and recorded content on my PCs and Android devices (no additional charge). Having two DVR would give you double the recording capacity (each DVR can store 500gb), at double the price.

Comcast GAVE me a Motorola DCH3200 and to this day are not charging me rent on it so unless the X1 can also be had rent free not interested as my triple play with one crappy premium channel cost enough as it is and I buy every piece of equipment I can to save rental fees. I use my HDHomeRun prime to record anything I want and it has 3 tuners so no need for their locked down DVR I can't edit or save to my setup locally.
IF they give out the DVR and boxes rent free I might be interested as I could use it to capture the stuff I like but don't want to keep forever, and use the Prime for the keepers that are copy freely.
I probably could drop my phone but not sure if the offset in cost would be cheaper then the triple play discount for having everything.

July 07, 2015 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast today announced it is increasing the speed of its popular Blast! tier by almost 50 percent to 150 Mbps (formerly 105 Mbps) and introducing a new Performance Pro speed tier of 75 Mbps. New and existing customers who subscribe to many popular Xfinity Triple Play bundles will now receive Performance Pro, tripling their download speeds from 25 Mbps to 75 Mbps. These latest increases demonstrate Comcast’s ongoing commitment to continue to increase speeds for its customers, as it has virtually every year for more than the past decade, to support the increasing number of Internet connected devices in the home.

“We’ve invested tens of billions of dollars to create a network that makes broadband widely available to the most homes, and allows us to continually deliver the fastest, most reliable Internet and Wi-Fi speeds in and out of the home”

“Today, our customers simultaneously connect to the Internet through multiple smartphones, tablets and laptops, and whether it’s to stream, shop, video chat, upload photos or do homework, we’re committed to ensuring they get the best overall experience with blazing fast speeds and the most Wi-Fi coverage, all delivered over our state-of-the-art network,” said Kevin Casey, President of Comcast Cable’s Northeast Division, which includes 14 states from Maine to Virginia and the District of Columbia.
The new speeds and tiers will be available to the vast majority of new and existing customers starting later this month. Customers subscribing to eligible Triple Play bundles will receive the new, 3x faster Performance Pro speeds, and all new and existing customers with Blast! speed tiers will have their speeds go from 105 Mbps to 150 Mbps, an almost 50 percent increase. To get the new speeds, customers may need to re-start their modems. Comcast will also notify customers who may need to upgrade their modems to receive the increased speeds. Customers who lease modems from Comcast will be able to receive upgraded modems at no additional charge. A list of approved modems can be found online at http://mydeviceinfo.comcast.net/.
In addition to increasing speeds for its Northeast Division customers, Comcast continues to offer the fastest wireless gateway, and most Xfinity Internet customers can enjoy complimentary access to more than 8.5 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots nationwide by selecting "xfinitywifi" from the list of available networks on their laptops or mobile devices and entering their Xfinity ID or email and password. Hotspots can be found by either downloading the Xfinity WiFi App, available for free on iOS and Android devices, or by visiting the hotspot finder map on www.xfinity.com/wifi. Additionally, Comcast provides consumers with tips on how to create the best in-home Wi-Fi experience, out of home Wi-Fi experience and how to shop safely online.
“We’ve invested tens of billions of dollars to create a network that makes broadband widely available to the most homes, and allows us to continually deliver the fastest, most reliable Internet and Wi-Fi speeds in and out of the home,” continued Casey.
Comcast also takes its responsibility to provide a safe and secure online experience very seriously, offering a comprehensive security website at https://constantguard.xfinity.com/ that serves as an online resource to help customers protect themselves from spam, viruses and other online threats, and where they can learn about parental controls and ways to help protect children from cyber bullying, harassment and online predators. Comcast also provides Constant Guard, the most comprehensive online security suite, which includes Norton Security antivirus software, free to its Xfinity Internet customers.
About Comcast Cable: Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. Comcast has invested in technology to build an advanced network that delivers among the fastest broadband speeds, and brings customers personalized video, communications and home management offerings. Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

In another sign of broadband's growing predominance in the cable business, Comcast is planning to conduct its first market trials of the industry's next-gen broadband spec, DOCSIS 3.1, sometime this fall.

Speaking on the company's second-quarter earnings call this morning, Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) Chairman & CEO Brian Roberts said the giant US MSO will test DOCSIS 3.1 in several undisclosed markets as it gears up to roll out the technology broadly over the next couple of years, "adding tremendous capacity and laying the groundwork for future speed increases." He described the D3.1 rollout as part of the company's increasing emphasis on using new broadband technologies and products, rather than traditional video technologies and products, to attract and retain customers.

"DOCSIS 3.1 is a quantum leap forward, we believe, not just a linear step," Roberts said. Noting that Comcast is also moving forward with the introductions of its new Gigabit Pro service over all-fiber lines and its new Stream OTT video service, he referred to broadband and gigabit services as "top of mind" for his company.

The new DOCSIS 3.1 spec will enable cable operators to deliver downstream data speeds as high as 10 Gbit/s and upstream speeds of at least 1 Gbit/s to broadband users. Although the industry's current flagship standard, DOCSIS 3.0, can now support downstream speeds as high as about 1.2 Gbit/s, it tops out there and can't support close to the same level of upstream speeds.

Comcast did not disclose where it will conduct the DOCSIS 3.1 trials or reveal which vendor's equipment it will use for the tests. But, with numerous cable vendors scrambling to develop and test their D3.1 cable modems, gateways and other products right now, the MSO could have a few choices available.

Unlike some other MSOs, though, Comcast remains firmly committed to the conventional pay-TV business. On the earnings call, company executives stressed that they will further accelerate the rollout of their X1 IP video set-tops and gateways as the next-gen boxes continue to boost DVR and VoD usage by video subscribers and cut customer churn rates.

Seeking to install the boxes in customer homes as fast as possible, they have already ramped up X1 deployment rates to a record 30,000 boxes a day and aim to boost that pace ever higher. With X1's deployment rate up 10% from the first quarter, and 35% from the year-ago period, Comcast has now placed the boxes in one third of its approximately 10 million triple-play households, as well as a smaller portion of its 8.9 million double-play homes. Slightly more than half of new Comcast video subscribers now sign up for the X1 service.

"We continue to believe that X1 is an absolute game-changer," Roberts said. "We've scaled our deployment to 30,000 boxes a day and we're looking to go even higher. We very much believe in the video business and our place in its future."

Seeing an opportunity in the broader cable market, Comcast officials are aggressively pitching X1 licensing deals to other MSOs. So far, Cox Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. have jumped at the bait and started conducting trials. Roberts said "a number of other companies" have also expressed interest in licensing X1.